Her Absolute Fire
by mirorin
Summary: A collection of one-shots and ideas accumulated over time. Explores different backstories/ideas with two OCs. Rated T for minor coarse language. AcexOC
1. The New Girl

**AN:** Another story whipped up in 2011. Guess I was in a fanfiction writing mood then? This time my OC had ties to Jimbe. :)

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><p>The Whitebeard pirates stood about their ship lazily. It was not normally like this, but today was special. It was today that Jimbe the fishman would be bringing to them a new crew member. It was decided that the ship would wait in this specific spot this day, though Jimbe did not say when he was coming, only to wait for his crew. Whitebeard himself had spoken to him through the den-den mushi, and he had merely told the rest on board that there was going to be another person joining their pirate family.<p>

Everyone was excited. It wasn't unusual that there was a new member, but it was the fact that it was a human recommended by Jimbe, a fishman. Fishmen were almost never seen with humans. The relationship between Whitebeard and this particular fishman was rare; they were friends.

Portgas. D. Ace was lying on the cabin roof, staring at the clouds above him, bored. Like everyone else, he was excited, sure. However, until he actually met the guy, he would be bored as hell. Not like he did much anyways, despite the fact that he held the title captain of the second division, which was Whitebeard's right hand man.

Ace wore no shirt- he had refused to wear one ever since he had the Whitebeard symbol tattooed on his back. He wore black boots, black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, and a blue pouch belted around his left leg. On his left hip hung a dagger in a green sheath, and on his left arm, he wore several accessories along with his "ASCE" tattoo with the S crossed out.

He wore a red beaded necklace and an orange hat with two blue smileys, one frowning and one smiling, and a string of red beads sitting above the rim. Two long orange side straps hung down sides of his hat and met at a large medallion of a bull's skull with orange tassels on his chest. Ace already had his hat before he became a pirate about a year and a half ago. He found it one day, and rather liked it, so he kept it since.

The sky up above was clear, and the sun had Ace shading his eyes under his hat. Seagulls circled called out in the distance. The ocean, other than some creatures breaking the surface, was relatively calm as well. Waves rolled softly against the giant boat, but only made it rock slowly and Ace sleepy. He yawned, and covered his face with the hat. A nap didn't sound too bad right about now.

"Greet Jimbe-san properly! Bow!" one of the captains hollered.

Everyone who was on deck bowed. Jimbe was a very respectable fishman, as he was very powerful. Whoever he brought along would surely bring promise- it was a given.

The fishman pirate had anchored his ship right beside the Whitebeards, and had a bridge connecting them. Many of the crew aboard the ship were leaning over the edge of the boat, awaiting their new member. They spoke among themselves quietly as Jimbe ambled over and bowed politely before Whitebeard, who was sitting on his large chair.

"It is great to see you," Whitebeard boomed heartily.

"You as well, old friend."

The two powerful pirates discussed things for a minute.

"Now then, Jimbe, show me my new family member."

"Of course, Whitebeard," he said, and turned towards his ship. "Alice!" he bellowed.

At that moment, a shadow sprung from the deck of Jimbe's ship to in front of the two giants.

"Yes?" the small girl answered.

Alice stared at Whitebeard for a moment with her amethyst coloured eyes, taking him in. She lifted her black hat, placing it on her chest and bowed. Her red waist length hair fell over her shoulders like a curtain and reached her knees.

"So you wish to join our family?" Whitebeard asked. He was not surprised that it was a girl, unlike the rest of the crew. The majority of them were gawking at her childish face.

The girl's brown shorts revealed her slender legs, and the two blue diamond encrusted daggers hanging from her thighs seems to weigh her down. She glanced around through her hair, but showed no signs of fear towards anyone. Although Whitebeard could tell that she was wary of him. Carefully, she placed her hat back on her head and stood up.

"Yes, sir." Alice tipped her had, and it loomed over her eyes, so that they no longer appeared amethyst, but a dark blue color. She gave him an ominous smile.

Ace awoke with a start.

A chill had suddenly crept up his spine while he was sleeping. Even though he was known as Fire Fist Ace, the right hand man of Whitebeard, and quite strong, the man still shuddered. What was this uneasy feeling?

He cast a glance around, but no one was in sight. Strange, he thought. Ace realized right away that it was noon since his stomach was already growling, but usually, even during lunch there would be a few more of his mates on deck, to keep watch. _Whatever, it's not like they upped and disappeared_, he laughed to himself. Ace hopped down easily from the roof and hurried along to the eating quarters. By now, his stomach was throwing a fit due to the lack of food. He frowned irritated, and quickened his pace.

Ace flung open the door with so much force that it left a dent in the wall. The carpenters glared at him devilishly, and Ace laughed nervous at them. "Crap! S-sorry guys...I didn't mean to..." he managed to stutter, and made his way to the empty seat that was farthest from them. No doubt that later, he'd be getting an earful from the bunch.

As the chef greeted the man warmly, and served him food equivalent to the amount ten grown men would eat, the new girl stared at him with curiosity. The shirtless man seemed to have ignored her completely- no, he was simply oblivious to her presence. He appeared to be too busy stuffing his face, already on his third plate.

"Oi, Ace," someone called. Alice and Ace shifted their glance to the speaker. It was Marco, Alice recognized from this morning. Marco was a lean muscular, blond-haired man of average height. He looked like a normal person, except with a rather sleepy look and some stubble around his chin (Alice thought this made him look old). He wore a jacket and a light blue sash adorned with an elaborate belt around his waist, and looked like your average pirate.

"Ah, Marco, I'm eating. What do you want?" Ace asked quickly, and resumed his eating.

Marco stared at him. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Huh? What? This is my food. Get your own."

"Er, no." Marco scratched his head and gave a small sigh. "New mate, remember?"

Ace paused for a moment, slowly chewing his drumstick. A slow realization came upon his face and he stood up abruptly. As soon as he had done this, he sat right back down. "I completely forgot. So who's the rookie?" The excitement from before his nap was gone now- all his concentration was on his food.

"Hello," Alice spoke from her spot, raising her hand slightly so she would stand out from the small crowd of people around her. Ace turned in his chair to stare at her. They met eyes for a moment and he raised an eyebrow at her appearance. It wasn't the fact that she was a girl that surprised him, but that she looked like a doll. Her stare was slightly curious, but she seemed to not particularly care.

"Hey," he replied easily. The girl had an air about her with the way she glanced around, aware of the people around. She didn't seem to trust anyone in the room, with the way her guard was up. It seemed that he was cleared from suspicion, whatever he was suspected of, because she didn't look at him again.

"Hey," Ace greeted her. It seemed to be the only word he could say to her. He didn't know how to talk to her at all- she was rather unresponsive.

"Hi."

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: Sorry for the abrupt end. I guess I stopped there and never finished it... ^^"


	2. Pretty Lady

**AN: **I wrote this back in 2011! Was going through my old fanfictions and I stumbled upon this, so I thought heck, why don't I upload it?

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><p>"Hey there, lady," the man greeted her. He had a beer in hand, and she could smell the alcohol lingering in his breath. It was obvious that he was drunk, and she sighed at his carelessness. She knew by the way he was dressed that he was an outlaw, just like her.<p>

The man's clothing was ragged and travel had beaten dust into them. He had a fuzzy beard, which was the same color as his messy hair hiding under his bandana, a dirty brown. His cheeks were slightly flustered from the overdose of alcohol.

The man hiccupped and then swung an arm around her. Out of some respect, she just took it (a little roughly) and pulled it away from her neck. He reeked of dead fish. It seemed like he was fresh from the port, but he really should know better than to consume so much that he'll be vomiting later on. People like this just didn't understand it wasn't healthy, or smart, for that matter.

"Why don't you gimme a kiss, honey?"

She sighed again and replied in a mutter, "Because I don't want to." However, he didn't seem to hear, and if he did, then he ignored her words. The man leaned in, puckering his disgusting lips, and she pushed him away with annoyance. "I mean it. Don't touch me," she warned coolly, flipping her scarlet hair back. The girl already had a hand grasped around the hilt of her dagger within seconds of his stare.

"Aw, why not, pretty lady?"

She wrapped her grip tighter around the hilt, ready to draw her weapon, but someone grabbed the man's shoulder, pulling him back out of arms reach. She already knew who it was before turning.

"Because you're drunk and she'll clobber," Ace said smoothly. He turned to her, a bright smile on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked with sincere concern, stepping in front of the man who turned to shout at him. But when he saw the Whitebeard symbol tattooed across Ace's back, he quickly shuffled away. Even when drunk, he wasn't looking for death.

"I'm fine," She answered him softly. Ace had recently taken the position of 2nd division captain, and had begun talking to her more and more. Sometimes, it was just plain annoying.

"You always find me," she said, looking directly at the 2nd division captain. He was well built; his muscles were toned through years of training, and yet he wasn't ridiculously gigantic. A strange one he was, she thought. He wore no shirt because he didn't want to cover the tattoo of Whitebeard on his back- it was his pride and joy. She was slightly jealous at the fact that he couldn't get cold. After eating the Mera-Mera fruit, he always had a constant body temperate of fire.

"Well, yeah, it's hard to miss you, Alice," he laughed. The way he said her name, in such a casual manner, had always gotten her curious. This person seemed to have no sense of fear (or respect) like the other members did. One glare from her and any other would be silent; Ace would merely grin at her like a fool.

"Pushing that aside," – Alice stood up – "we should head back to the ship. Night is approaching." She flipped back her red hair again and strolling over to the door. Ace followed with a laugh, tugging on his hat. She liked that hat of his. It had two giant blue buttons on the rim, one was smiling and the other was frowning. She wanted it…

"Are you afraid of the dark or something? We can return at anytime, it doesn't matter if we go back in the middle of the night, even," Ace said, and she sighed. That wasn't it.

"I'm not afraid of the dark," Alice said firstly, feeling slightly offended. "There's just no point in wandering at night, since everything will be closed. Besides, I don't feel like staying around here much longer." Even though he was older than her (slightly), it almost seemed as if Ace had the mind of a child.

"The stars tonight are said to be incredibly beautiful," he smiled sweetly. She stared. "If you don't want to stay here…"-he paused- "I saw a high cliff earlier by the beach. I bet the view from there is awesome. Do you want to go?"

Alice considered the offer. The sun was almost past the horizon. Its orange rays were already shimmering over the surface of the ocean, dying it the color of flames.

Ace watched her closely. He found it amazing that she could seem so deep in thought, yet be completely attentive to her surroundings. Already once or twice she had stepped aside to let someone pass, but she had not so much as glanced at them. Alice was extremely cool and calm, too. Perhaps a few deadly glares and killing auras sent, but he had never seen her raise her voice against anyone before.

In addition to that, she was completely loyal to Whitebeard; she had been adopted and raised at a young age by the old man. Alice was an amazingly strong and intelligent addition to the crew.

However, in her magnificence, Ace also knew she was lonely. Even though she had been with the Whitebeards much, much longer than him, she barely had anyone close to her, and never once had he seen her smile. There was only Whitebeard and Leon, the young and blond head doctor, whom she was close to.

Ace could tell from the first time he met Alice, during his welcoming party, when she was the only one who seemed to be not celebrating. She was sitting in the seat farthest away from him, away from the loud noises, the celebrations and the alcohol, not even a slight smile on her face and instead she seemed lost in deep thought. Before half way through the party she had already disappeared, her alcoholic beverage was left on the table, untouched. But when Whitebeard assigned her to watch over him, (though slightly ashamed), Ace was very cheerful. Finally, just like now, she was talking to him casually, on her own. It was like a big milestone in life for him.

"Fine."

Ace blinked. "Sorry, what?"

The girl glanced at him, her hands in the pockets of her open front long coat. "I'll go with you… to stargaze."

He smiled brightly. "Then let's go!" he said excitedly, grabbing her hand immediately and pulling her towards the ridge. She looked down, sighing. He was much too childish.

The ridge was high, and the hike there was a long one. By the time Ace and Alice and reached it, the sky was already quite dark, and the beach beneath seemed almost eerie as the porters finished for the night. A slight cold breeze waltzed about the trees as the two sat on a giant rock. Ace sat down, gesturing his companion to come join him, and she sat beside him with her knees pulled to her chin, and she rested her arms and looked up. He had the smallest smile upon his lips.

"Isn't this nice?" he asked her softly. "It's the perfect view…"

"Yeah," she replied in a slow, dazzled voice. Her eyes were gazing up at the celestial bodies completely memorized. It was as if in that starry sky there was something that he couldn't see drawing her in.

"Do you like stars?" he asked.

"I love them," she replied and reached out a hand in front of her like she was going to grab one. "They're far, but so pretty and fascinating." She was a funny one, Ace thought, and he chuckled aloud, covering his face with his hand.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoy them," he smiled sweetly at her. She stared at him for a long moment, then her eyes were cheerful and Ace was satisfied.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: This was meant to be a first chapter, and I think it is OK. Seems more like a one-shot though, now that I re-read it. I do like the writing style in this one. :D


	3. Prequel

**AN**: I think this was meant to be a prologue for before Alice met Ace... The description gets a bit irrelevant at times. XD

A scene I wrote in 2012.

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><p>Alice was sitting at the back of the dining hall, watching her crewmates chugging down barrels of sake. It was a party celebrating the successful plunder of an enemy ship, but she felt it was unnecessary. She let out a small sigh, but then smiled. They sure didn't know what holding back was. Although the plunder that morning was a ship that wasn't even comparable to them in size, they were throwing a full out festival.<p>

The men poured booze for the drunken men that kept drinking and drinking, trying to see who was able to hold the most liquor before passing out. A few of the women joined in as well, laughing as they watched their opponents give up. Others were stuffing their faces with food, and there were more competitions for who could eat the most.

Although she found it was unnecessary, it did make her smile to see her crewmates so carefree as if they had all the time in the world. She looked at the clock that stayed miraculously hung on the wall with all the commotion. It was well past midnight already, and Alice decided to retire to her room. Captain had mentioned earlier that they would have guests in the afternoon.

"I'm going back to my room," she said to her companion, the young and blonde doctor Leo. He nodded with slightly flustered cheeks and went for another mug of booze. She manoeuvred through the chairs and people like a snake and left the room.

The sun had risen sooner than Alice anticipated in the morning, and she was still sluggish as she went onto deck. As she expected, there were less of the crew out that morning than usual. On deck were about seven people in total, all of them were the division captains, except one who seemed to be one of the new recruits. She watched as he fumbled with the ropes of the sail, and smiled when one of the captains came over to help him.

It was a fairly clear day, save for a few grey wisps of clouds in the distance. There was no worry, however, as they were moving away from them. Birds circled overhead, and one of them was the news bird, a pelican like bird that had a sack with it. She took a copy, and handed the bird some beli before it started to peck her. The newspaper was dropped off at Captain's quarters after she gave it a quick read. The captain liked to know what was happening in the world as often as possible.

Alice's beast, a large black panther, slinked around the corner to nudge her. She rubbed his head for a moment, then gave it a tickling under the chin. He purred contently with his face obviously showing it.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: I don't quite remember where I was going with this one! But it's not too bad. I like the writing style.


	4. Ace and the Bounty Hunter

**AN**: Ahh... 2011. Again this was meant to be a prequel of sorts I'm pretty sure. It got a bit silly in the middle, but oh, what the heck! :D

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><p>There was a light breeze rustling through the large island of Dralama. Like any other normal day, the citizens were busy and cheerful, the streets full of vendors, shoppers, diners and many others. The only exceptions were the pirates who were at the shore. Porters, though few, still complained about them in the bars and restaurants.<p>

A young lady, around the age of twenty, sat at the end of the counter with her back facing such porters. Her hair was a blood red color, hanging to her waist, and she wore a dark long coat over her brown shorts and white hanker top. The lady listened intently on their conversation, though quietly while sipping her beverage. There was a carefree expression on her face.

The porters moved on to idle chat, so she cleared her glass, no longer feeling a need to hear their gruff voices. They provided little to no information that she wanted, and she sighed as she got up and paid the waitress. As she moved towards the exit, a little boy in shabby clothing who appeared to be around the age of ten came bursting through the doors. He was puffing heavily like he had just finished some sort of marathon and he struggled to get his words out.

The lady paused by the doorway as the boy ran past and up to the porters' table. "P-pops!" he cried to one of the men. "The Whitebeard pirates landed at the shore!" Their faces became pale at the mention of 'Whitebeard'. She was not surprised. Whitebeard was a well-known pirate, infamous for his strength and rivalry with the late Pirate King, Gold Roger. There was probably not a single person who did not know his name in the entire world. Though he was old now, the man still had power with numerous pirate allies and countless islands under his claim. Many believed he was even the strongest pirate currently alive.

As they continued to gawk at the boy, slowly, a grin spread across the lady's face. She ducked her head to hide her eyes behind long crimson bangs, and stepped out of the bar; leaving the porters. It was about time that idiot came.

xxx Elsewhere xxx

"Hey, you!" some man called out. He carried several weapons on his belt and sash, and wore camouflage shorts, a black muscle shirt, and thick leather boots. Over his head was a bandana, and he showed a cold, stern expression. "With the Whitebeard tattoo on your bare back…You're Portgas. D. Ace, the second division captain aren't you?" he shouted loud enough that everyone heard.

Hearing his name, Ace turned to face the bulky guy. They were about the same size, height and muscle-wise and even though the man had so many weapons on him, Ace, who seemed defenceless except for a little green dagger at his belt, had something with plenty more power.

"And if I am?" Ace smirked widely. "Are you going to capture me and throw me to the marines?" He flexed his fingers one by one as he scanned the surroundings. Good. Most of the citizens had already cleared the square when they heard the mention of Whitebeard, his old man.

"Ha," the man laughed in response, putting a hand on the bazooka on his back. "It looks like you already know your fate! I'll defeat you and make a name for myself. My name is Brawley and you better remember it, pirate scum! I'll be sending you to hell!" As the man finished his bold statement, a giant, searing pillar of flames suddenly burst from Ace's left hand straight at him. He barely leapt out of the way, cursing as the fire licked at his arms. The building that was behind him was took the attack and it spread about the entire structure.

"Crap," Ace mumbled. "She won't be happy about that…" He hadn't intended to get the building- the hunter had avoided it faster than he expected. Opening his right palm quickly, Ace released a surge of flaming chains. They pounded Brawley's chest and he was sent flying back, creating a giant drag mark in the ground. Ace cursed as Brawley got up from the ground, his figure hazy in the smoke, and fired his bazooka. "Wow!" he gasp as he caught it in a wall of flame and it exploded. Ace was knocked back, but he held his ground, leaving two deep drag marks.

"Crap... She's going to be pissed…" Ace sighed heavily as he glanced around at the torn up ground and buildings set on fire.


	5. Attacked

**AN**: No relevance to the previous story, but also a 2011 fanfic.

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><p>Ace cursed under his breath. He was panting heavily, glaring hard at the man in front of him. A sword was pointed at Ace's head, and a sea stone cuff on his leg. He was screwed if he didn't do something <em>fast.<em> "Heh," he said trying to buy some time. "You seem pretty pissed off. Mind telling me why I'm about to be killed?"

The man swiftly took a glance at the Whitebeard pirate. He noticed Ace had his hands on the cuff. It was obvious enough that he was trying to break it off. But they both knew that it was impossible to destroy a cuff of sea stone with only powerless, bare hands.

"You're a pirate. That's reason enough," the man said coolly. His icy voice reminded him of Alice when they first met… it made him shiver inside at the thought. Something eerie in that voice made you fear death.

Ace laughed with a stifle. "I may be a pirate, but so are you!" It wasn't because of such a simple reason. The division captain calmed himself, watching the man's movements and waiting for an opening. The stranger had suddenly attacked him when he saw the tattoo on his back… "Why do you hate the Whitebeard Pirates?" Ace asked. This guy was dangerous. If Ace couldn't take him down, and he went after the crew, there was no telling how many lives would be lost. Ace couldn't allow that. Not a chance in hell.

"That doesn't matter," he said. "What matters now is that I'm going to kill you." Ace grimaced as the man pulled his sword back suddenly and swung forward.

"Don't you dare touch Ace!" Alice shouted angrily as she swooped down from above. She pulled out her two broadswords as she landed dramatically on a crouch. Surging forward, she was a blur of red as she crossed her blades at the sword's hilt and pulled it right out of his grip. He was caught by surprise, but tried to retaliate with a swift swung at her body. Alice dodged to the side, bursting forward, and hooked him in the stomach with her hilt. The man flew back to the street, crashing into a vendor and Alice was back in a crouch. In a blink she was at Ace's aid. The cuff on his leg was cracked open easily by her.

"How-?"

"I'll tell you later. We're escaping right now." Her broadswords were sheathed immediately and she grabbed his arm tightly. As she pulled him up, he scooped her into his arms. She opened her mouth in protest, but he grinned.

"It's faster this way," he explained, jumping on a stack of crates. Leaping from wall to wall, he reached the top within seconds. He let Alice down (reluctantly) and the two began running along the rooftops at an extraordinary pace. As Alice glanced behind them, she slowed her speed and Ace followed suit. The man wasn't following them.

It was then that Ace realized Alice was tense. There was no playfulness in her expression, only worry as she constantly glanced back. He took her hand. "Hey," he said softly as he pulled her gently towards him to catch her attention. "Calm down. We lost him."


	6. The Maid

**AN**: Aiyaa... this one made me facepalm from the silliness. However, it's one of my earlier works, written in 2010. This one is funny - Ace was turned into some weird bishounen hunk. Not that he isn't, but not like this. And this protagonist is quite the shoujo lead! Enjoy! :D

You can tell it's an early work. Also Miyuki came before Alice in the timeline of creation.

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><p>He walked through the doors of the bar my mother owned. His shaggy black hair and gorgeous black eyes caught my heart and just melted it. My heart pounded against my chest, I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. I didn't even notice what he wore, just that my eyes couldn't leave his.<p>

I was wearing a black T-shirt and some beige slacks that were covered by an apron. My black, a-little-past-my-shoulder hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and I wore a headband to keep back my long bangs.

He walked in, talking to his nakama, one of them playfully punching him in the arm. He pouted for a second, and then laughed along with them. Suddenly, he looked up, and saw me idling there, with my tray held against my apron; he met my gaze and smiled. I felt my face go red in embarrassment, and his nakama stopped laughing, and stared at him, then at me. They suddenly busted out with laughter again, one of them even whistling.

The guy who whistled got smacked by the gorgeous man; I could tell that he was embarrassed as well.

"Quit that!" He told the guy rather harshly, but his voice sounded angelic.

My mother, the bartender, hit me on the head with a menu board.

"What are you waiting for? Greet them already, Miyuki!" She whispered.

I slowly took the menu from her and walked up to group.

"Hi there!" He greeted me first before the others, another smile on his lips. I handed him the menu and walked to one of corners of the bar. There were many tables there, cushioned chairs too, especially reserved for pirates or bandits that entered, so that they wouldn't disturb the other customers. He frowned at me for a second; I guess he expected me to greet him.

I walked back over to my mother, her expression was confused. "What's wrong? You didn't say a word or anything! Tsubaki-chan can take over your shift if you feel ill."

"There is nothing wrong… I just," -I turned my head slightly to stare at the gorgeous man with his nakama—"feel uncomfortable serving the group of people back there." She nodded, and turned her head back to the kitchen and called Tsubaki out.

"Hey, miss!" Someone from the tables in the back hollered. "We would like 10 barrels of sake! But don't give this boy any alcohol…"—he looked at the gorgeous man—"Would you want to try some sake for once, Ace Kiddo?"

He rolled his eyes. "Show some respect, it's _Captain_ Ace."

All of Ace's nakama howled with laughter, thank heavens that there weren't any other customers at the moment.

But I guess that they had most likely already retreated to there homes, in fear of the pirates that now laughed like fools in front of my eyes. Ace grunted, putting his hands behind his head and fell against the back of the cushion chair.

"I'm going to take a nap now, try not to eat too much," He sighed, closing his eyes.

"And that's coming from the guy who uses most of the spending on food!" One of them busted out. They seemed like the kind of people who couldn't take anything seriously, always making it into some form of joke.

Ace grunted again, "Just wake me up when the food arrives."

"Okie-Dokie Captain."

Ace's nakama ordered lots of food and Tsubaki seemed to become tired after the seventh run to the kitchen. I patted her on the back, telling her to rest and let me take over. She agreed, collapsing in a chair that happened to be close by. I inhaled and got the dishes from the kitchen, walking quickly over to Ace and his nakama.

Ace's nakama snickered as I arrived at his table. "This is the steak you ordered, sir." I said stiffly, putting it in front of him.

"And so she speaks!" The nakama on Ace's right side busted. The man looked drunk. "Hey Ace Kiddo, wake up, it's your-"—he hiccuped—"Girlfriend!"

I gave the man a cold stare. "You should stop drinking, it's bad for your brain cells, and you could get liver disease, sir."

"Hey, hey, little miss, we're the customers here." He stood up. Uh-oh, this was going to be bad. Ace half-opened one of his eyes, staring at the both of us.

I took a step back, and bent my legs slightly, ready to dodge any attack that was coming. His hand with the bottle of sake in it was raised, he looked pissed off. Dang, mother was going to kill me for this; I could already feel her glare bore a hole through my head.

"You won't be able to do anything, sir." I stepped back another step, I needed a bit of room for this.

He readied himself to throw the bottle at me. He brought back his arm slowly and flung it forward, I easily dodged it. The bottle smashed into the floor behind me, and everyone was staring. I put my hand on the ground, shifting my weight, and then I knocked down his legs with a swift kick. I avoided his falling body, and then I sat on his back, holding his arm tight against his backside. "I warned you, sir. I don't think you can beat me."

I wanted to dislocate his shoulder with my other hand, but before I even had a chance to try, I was standing again, someone's warm arm was around my waist, and their hand held my wrist delicately, yet firmly.

I felt their warm breath as they whispered something into my ear.

"I'm sorry; I can't let you do that, miss."

It was Ace that was holding me in his arms. My heart started to race more wildly, my face burned. I couldn't have mistaken that voice for someone else, it was definitely Ace. He was so close; I could feel his steady pattern of breathing, his enchanting smell. _Oh my god_, I thought. _He's touching me!_

My breath became heavier, _Oh my god!_

"Hey, miss… are you alright?" He sounded panicky, was there something wrong?

My breath became so heavy; I couldn't even remember where I was anymore. I couldn't think straight; all I could focus on was him _touching me. _My conscious slipped in and out, I slowly lost my sight, my sense of logic, and all I knew was that something warm was against my backside. My heart thumped loudly once more, and then…my mind went black.

"Hey, wake up already!" someone moaned loudly next to my ear. I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly, it was really bright in this place.

"Where am I?" I asked absent mindedly, not paying attention to anything in particular. I sat up, and realized I was in Duke's clinic. I could tell it was Duke's clinic by the way he arranged his rooms, he always liked to have the equipment draws next to the desk, which was always across from the bed. Everything was exceptionally white, only the brown, Crestwood desk was different. I noticed that my headband was gone, and my hair was let down. I felt like a mess without my headband.

"Hey, are you done being all scared and stuff now?" Tsubaki asked, plopping onto the bed, next to my legs. "You know, mom thought you had a heart attack or sumthin' cause you collapsed all of a sudden, what happened there?"

"Um, well, I just vaguely remember thinking about dislocating some guy's arm, then someone grabbed me and then…" I stopped mid-sentence. I had fainted because Ace was holding onto me.

"What happened after 'then'?"

"He knocked me out." I told her, it wasn't really a lie nor was it the complete truth. I didn't mention what really happened because I was afraid that she would think I was crazy if I told her I fell in love with an outlaw who I thought was an angel that descended from heaven. It even sounded crazy to me, to be totally truthful. Me. Fall in love with a pirate. It sounded absolutely ridiculous. Tsubaki may even be disgusted.

"Was it because you felt ill that you let that happen?" Tsubaki asked, touching my forehead. "Hey, I think your kinda burning up here, sis." Her expression turned worried and I started to wonder if all the stuff at the bar was really because I felt sick and not because I fell in love with a pirate.

"Well, I hope that you aren't sick. That would be horrible." My mother walked into the room, a basket of fruit in her hands.

"Eat this and you should feel better." She said, and placed the basket in my lap and sat down in the chair that Tsubaki was previously sitting in. She had also changed from her uniform to a pretty, long blue dress. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and I felt it made her look younger then her actual age.

"I'm feeling fine, mum." I smiled, and she seemed to release a big sigh.

"That's good to hear, but what happened? You made your sister and I very worried back there, dear." She stroked my hair, hugging me. I hugged her back.

"Miyuki-nee just felt sick and fainted. That's what Miyuki-nee told me." Tsubaki purred, stealing away mother's attention.

"What happened after I passed out?" I asked. I was curious to know what Ace's reaction was.

"Well," Tsubaki began. "When you passed out, the guy that was holding you, um, Ash or something..."

"His name is Ace." I corrected her.

She gave me a funny look, so I shut my mouth. "As I was saying, when you fainted, the guy, Ace that was hold onto you sorta freaked. I went and got mum, and we came to your side, and he was holding you in his arms. He wasn't like, holding onto you tightly, he looked really shocked though. I told him to hand you over to mum and he did, then I asked him what happened. He told me that one of his nakama had started a fight with you, and you had him pinned to the floor, looking like you were about to break his arm, so he thought that he should stop it, and he did. Then you suddenly started to breathe heavily and then you passed out. He also told me that he felt he was responsible and he wanted to apologize to you when you woke up." Tsubaki inhaled a large gulp of air. "And that's what happened after you fainted." She finished.

"Yes, indeed that is what happened after you passed out, dear. The young man, Ace, seemed really worried about you too." My mother said with a kind smile on her face. "I hope that you can accept his apology."

Her smile seemed to turn to a tarradibble one.

"Of course, mum." I smiled back. She may have said it nicely, but my mother really meant, _Go and tell him you're not interested in him, that stupid pirate! _

Well, it seemed like I had to go and talk to Ace, and in these circumstances, I was skeptical about seeing him again. But undeniably…I loved him, he was my knight in shining armor.

After searching for what seemed like possibly forever, I found him (in the most obvious place). The only problem was that he had his stupid nakama with him. I didn't have any accomplishments that I needed accomplishing with that stupid drunk maniac that attacked me.

They were on their ship, so I figured that I could wait on the shore for all his nakama to sleep, or leave the ship, then I could sneak up to his room -wherever it was- and talk to him.

I leaned against a tree trunk, staring intently at the ship. I got bored quite easily, so I had to keep myself occupied by doing various things that I could think of. I eventually dozed off, and when I awoke, it was almost pitch dark. Great. I felt like a ninja about to assassinate someone, being all sneaky.

Walking up the plank was easy enough; the moon lit the way. Once on deck, was the hard part. There were guards stationed almost everywhere, most of them were asleep, but you could tell that the ones who weren't, were very buff, and strong looking. I was definitely doing something from the 'no-no' list that my mother mentally kept.

Sneaking onto a pirate ship and looking for the captain for some stupid apology that could have been done in the morning at the bar. Nope. I wanted to talk to him in the middle of the night, while he was asleep. Maybe then, if I did something stupid… he would think it was a dream and apologize the next morning anyways. I just hoped that he was at least sleeping lightly so that I could wake him up. It would be pointless if he was a heavy sleeper, I could probably kill him and he wouldn't have known what happened, other then the fact that he never woke up to apologize to that ugly, nameless girl that he unknowingly made fall in love with him.

Unsurprisingly, it was the easiest thing to find Ace's room. It was the only one at the end of the hall, and had a sign on it labeled 'Captain's room'. I peeked through the porthole window on his door; he was sitting at the table in the center of the room. His bed was very neatly made behind him, and it looked like it had been untouched for a while. I knocked three times, and he looked up. He opened the door to see me, the girl who didn't bother to change at all since waking up at the clinic. Shit, I should've at least combed my hair a bit. I looked like a mess, probably.

Ace stared at me, his expression wasn't surprised, and it was calm and somewhat welcoming. Anyhow, he was still gorgeous, and I had to look at my boots to keep from being dazzled.

"I was expecting you."

"Uh, can I come in?" I asked. He smiled and stepped behind the door. I walked in and immediately took the seat farthest from the chair he was sitting at. He sat down too. Dang, neither of us was eager to speak up. This was SO awkward!

We both looked up, meeting gaze.

"Uh, well this is kind of awkward." His tone was nervous, and it was obvious that he was trying to lighten the mood.

He leaned forward, pressing his arms on the table.

"About earlier today…I'm sorry about that. I also would like to make it up to you somehow…"

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: Aiyaaa! First she beats up Ace's nakama for no real reason, then freaks and passes out. Then she wakes up, and describes the situation to her sister, who in turns describes the situation back to her? Huh!? Then she sneaks on-board his ship and Ace's expecting her? And that ending is quite implicit... What was running through my mind, I can only wonder.

Seems like I also threw in some OCs into it as well. Forgive me. -bows-


	7. Confession

**AN**: Another from 2011. I actually rather like this one, though there are some weird parts that aren't too smooth.

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><p>It was a perfectly normal night: the skies were clear without a cloud in sight, the stars shone weakly like dying flames and there was a cold draft that flew by now and then. Alice was at the very back of the ship, her legs crossed and she was nervous. She was sitting on a crate, leaning against the back wall of the kitchen. Ace had called her to come meet here and she couldn't stop being anxious. Her heart was unstable and her mind was going crazy. They were going be alone, just the two of them, in this empty place… during the night. The only light was the soft glow from the lantern Alice had brought and positioned beside her.<p>

Alice was running her fingers through her hair as Ace came. His hand was in its fire state, and as soon as he saw her, he morphed it back, and sat down beside her. There was a soft smile on his lips as they shared a gaze. The lantern lit her face up as she turned away from him.

"I didn't think…"-he shook his head- "You've been avoiding me for a while," he said. "So I'm really glad that you came." Alice felt embarrassed now. Ace's voice was so normal and confident, just like he always way. But here she was, trembling in her skin and her words stuck in her throat. She took a deep breath. Ace wasn't nervous; there was no reason she had to be.

"Ace," she said his name calmly with her eyes closed, facing forward. _Don't look at him,_ she thought._ Now talk like you're by yourself._ "I'm sorry about that. I just can't …really face you… for some reason." She opened her eyes and stared sternly at the dark ocean before her, concentrating hard, trying to push the anxiety from her mind. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Ace took her hand, plucking each finger from the palm, and held it gently in his. Alice could feel her resolve fading and her heart pounding. She wished the discomfort would go away, but she held his hand firmly, not wanting him to let go.

"Hey Alice," he smiled, turning her face to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Ok…" she swallowed, trying to pull back. But Ace held her cheek firmly as he stared at her intensely. There was a shy smile on his face.

"Do you love me?" he asked.

Alice opened her mouth… then looked down at their entwined hands. She had always found Ace to be an interesting person. The memories came flooding back to her then, of all the moments she spent with him. Perhaps Marco was right. What she felt about Ace, their bond…. "_Maybe what you feel for him isn't just friendship, Alice. Maybe you're just misunderstanding yourself because it's a new experience. You should think about it because I'm certain that what's between you and Ace is more than that."_ She smiled. Marco was right, and her heart pounded louder, now that she was sure of it.

"Yes," she said timidly.

There was a big sigh from Ace. Relief seem to flood his body. "Aw, that's great. I was afraid you would reject me," he laughed. "I was so nervous about asking you and all. Ah geez, I feel like an idiot."

"You've always been an idiot," she smiled shyly.

"Maybe," Ace whispered softly. With a swift flick of his finger, the light in the lantern went out, and it became instantly dark. Alice could only see his shadowy figure as he leaned in closer. "Maybe not."

Alice could feel him breathing steadily on her face, and slowly she closed her eyes. Ace placed his hands on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The girl parted her lips slightly, and trembled as he tenderly kissed her.

It was going to be a long night.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: I just had to add that last line. I didn't have it in the original.


	8. Whitebeard

**AN**: 2012. A description of Whitebeard from my OC?

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><p>Edward Newgate, or more commonly referred to as "Whitebeard", was indeed a great man. He was one of the few remaining people who truly knew Gol D. Roger's era, along with a few of the top brass of the Marines and World Government. The man had spent a good portion of his life known as the "Man Closest to One Piece" and "The Strongest Man in the World", amongst other things.<p>

The great pirate had spent many years of his life on the sea, and he was very much an elderly person, though he would not admit it, nor would his crew ever mention it (else they faced the wrath of Marco). But his age showed on his body. Over the years, he had gained numerous scars while his hair grew white and he grew his crescent-shaped mustache. However, what was most noticeable about him was most likely his size. Whitebeard was an abnormally large human: he was three times the size of a common man, and this was also said to reflect his power over the average pirate. Not only was he large, but he was a man of muscle. It was the evidence of his long years of battles upon the sea. Neither of these traits had waned over the years, though some would argue he was weakening. Though I would agree he was not as great as he once was in his younger years, I knew that even the power of a weakened Whitebeard was undisputed.

I say this with honest confidence. A few years after the Great Age of Pirates begun, which was some twenty years ago, Whitebeard went to Fishman Island: the home of fishmen and merfolk, and an alternative gateway to the New World for those who were not permitted to cross through Mariejois. The island was often visited by pirates passing through, as well as the Marines who chased them. When the Great Age of Pirates began, this problem escalated to extreme proportions as pirates rushed to find the legendary treasure left by the Pirate King. With this, the residents were constantly kidnapped and sold off as slaves.

However, when Whitebeard became close friends with King Neptune and declared the island as his territory, the problems were solved immediately. Anyone who dared to attack the island and its citizens incurred the wrath of Whitebeard. And as a result of being directly protected under his name, an unwavering peace came about. It was an event that I witnessed firsthand as a young child, and one I could never forget. Even though Fishmen Island was quite literally under the main seat of power of the World Government, Whitebeard was the one who protected the island, and for benevolent reasons at that . The same effect would not have been achieved even if had Sengoku been the one who declared it.

That very man was sitting in front of me. When he was not in battle, Whitebeard was usually sitting in his large chair, using oxygen tubes and attached to life support systems and several medical sensor machines. It was another product of both his old age as well as his heavy drinking habits. It saddened me every time I saw him in such a weak state, but I kept that to myself as he downed his barrel of sake and the female nurses told him not to drink so heavily. He dismissed their advice as if he were shooing away flies. But at least he was using the devices willingly now; he used to refuse the medical apparatus, which caused even his crew to start fussing like the women in pink uniforms.


	9. Riddle

**AN**: 2011. Riddle borrowed from SKET Dance... haha, I really do think it's witty. A cute little scene I wrote a while back. Apparently it's a short sequel to "Pretty Lady". ^^

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><p>"Good morning, Ace."<p>

He slowly turned to face Alice who was in the doorway. Today, she had a small, small smile on her lips. Maybe something during breakfast had amused her, Ace thought. Since stargazing with him, she had opened up a little. There was a friendlier manner in her tone now unlike before, though it still had its swiftness.

"Morning, Alice," he greeted her cheerfully. "You look in like you're in a good mood. What's up?" He sat down on the ground and patted the space next to him. Alice closed the door quietly behind her and walked towards him, but refused his offer with a shake of her head and placed herself on the white railing across from Ace, resting her elbows at her sides and letting her hands relax.

"Am I?" She asked, and her eyes smiled curiously at him. Ace laughed and nodded. "I didn't notice. But perhaps it's because of riddle Marco told me which I found rather witty," Alice explained.

"Marco is always looking for something entertaining to do," he laughed. "I'm willing to bet you solved it in a snap, didn't you? What was the riddle?"

"You want a try at it?" she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. He nodded rather eagerly like a child.

"In front of a sheep stands one dog. In front of a dog stands one sheep and one pig. Behind a pig stands one dog and one sheep. Behind a sheep stands one pig. Assuming the lowest possible total, how many animals are there altogether?" she said, repeating Marco's question.

Ace looked at her blankly, but grinned in a puzzled sort of way. "Well, let's see here," he said as he counted on his fingers. The question was being processed through his mind. "A dog, sheep, pig… is it six? Wait… four?" he scowled. "Ahh! It's hurting my brain!" He held his head like it was going to explode. "How many animals are there?"

She looked at him as she replied coolly, "Three." And she crouched down beside him and took out some kind of writing utensil. In small, light strokes, she illustrated it to Ace. She drew out a dog, sheep and pig. The dog and pig were facing the left, while the sheep in the middle was turned to the right, facing the dog. "The animals are arranged like this, you see?" A smile played on her lips.

Ace smiled at her expression.

Perhaps this moment was the beginning of something more between the two of them.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: I added a couple lines at the end. Not sure if it flows with the story, but I wanted something there. :P


End file.
